Salt and pepper box.



L. A. BOWER.

SALT AND PEPPER BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1914.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

J 6 5* G Horne LEWIS BOWEB, 0F SIGOUBNEY, IOWA.

SALT AND PEPPER BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed April 2, 1914. Serial No. 829,108.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIS A. Bowen, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Sigourney, in the county of Keokuk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salt and Pepper Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a combination salt and pepper box and has for its principal object the production of a device which is adapted to allow the salt or the pepper to be emptied therefrom independently of each other.

Another object of this invention is the production of a salt and pepper box which is provided with a sliding plate which is adapted to be easily shifted when desired to allow either the salt or the pepper to be emptied from the box.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists of certain novel combi nations, constructions and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing :Fi re 1 is a perspective view of the salt and pepper box. Fi 2 is a central vertical section through t e same. Fig. 3 is a detailed inverted perspective view of the cap. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device. Flg. 5 is a fragmentary inverted perspective view of the cap. Fig. 6 is an inverted side elevation of the cap, the rim being removed. Fig. 7 is a sectional view through a portion of the cap illustrating the manner in which the spring is held in position. Fig. 8 is a detailed perspectiveview of the spring.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals 1 designates the body of the salt and pepper box which is hollow and is provided with a central partition 2. The lower end of this box is closed by the re movable blocks 3 having central openings 4 in which the plugs 5 are adapted to fit for preventing the salt and pepper from spilling or running through the openings 4:. These openings 4' are adapted to facilitate the filling of the box 1 and if so de sired the blocks 3 may be removed when it is desired to cleanse the interior of the box.

The cap which is used upon this box is adapted to be provided with means for normally allowing the salt to be emptied therefrom, this means being-so formed, however, as to easily be shifted to cut oil the flow of the salt and prevent the'same from passing from the. interior of the box. ,The top portion thereof is formed from a blank strip of material comprising flaps 3 and 4, these flaps 3 and 4 being provided with apertures 5 and 6 for allowing the pepper and salt to pass therethrough as desired. It will be noted that the apertures 6 are larger than the apertures 5 for allowing salt to easily pass therethrough. The central portion of (the top is bent inwardly so as to provide the inwardly projecting flanges 7 which are formed paraliel at a spaced distance apart and which are connected by the bridge portion 8. The rim 9 may be formed upon the outer side edges of the flaps 3 and 4, this rim 9 being adapted to fit over the upper outer portion of the box 1 for retaining the cap in position. When this cap is podtioned upon the upper portion of the box 1 the partition 2 will rest between the parallel flanges 7 thereby forming a partition at the upper portion of the box and in this manner preventing the contents of the box from becoming m'ixed.

A plate comprising a pair of sections 10 and 11 is positioned within the cap so as to allow the sections 10 and 11 to be positioned upon opposite sides of the flanges 7.

These sections 10 and 11 are provided with 7 the transverse slots 12 which are adapted to register with the apertures 5 and 6 formed in the flaps 3 and 4.v A rod 13 passes through the flange 9 and is connected to the V sections 11 and 10 of the plate as shown at 14. This rod passes through the flanges 7 and also over the upper portion of the partition 2. The outer end of this rod 13 is provided with a head 15 which is adapted to facilitate the shifting of the rod 13, and when this red is shifted the sections 10 and 11 of the sliding plate will also be moved. These sections 10 and 11 are-formed so as to allow the slots 12 formed in one section to register with the apertures formed in one of the flaps 3 and 4 while the other section of the plate will form a closure for the remaining apertures whereby only the con- .tents of one portion of the box will be emptied from the box at onetime. The section 11 of the sliding plate is provided with an inclined lip 16 which is formed thereon so as to overhang the rod 13. A' flat spnn 17 having the vsshaped notches 18. in its free ends, and having one of the ends curved as indicated at 19,.is positioned so as to allow one portion of the spring to pass through one of the flanges 7 as clearly disclosed in Figs. 5 and 7 while the curved end 19 will rest behind the inclined lip 16 for normally urging the sliding plate in one direction. Since this spring is provided with the curved portion 19 resting behind the inclined plate 16 any danger of the spring working out of place and dropping into the interior of the box is eliminated.

Vhen this device is in use the cap is positioned upon the u per portion of the box 1 and the spring 1 will exert an outward pressure upon the rod 13. This will cause the slots 12 formed in the section 10 of the sliding plate to register with the apertures 6 formed in the flap 4 of the top and since these enlarged a ertures are adapted to be positioned over t e salt compartment of the box, the salt may be easily emptied therefrom; When these slots 12 formed in the section lO'register with the apertures 63, the body portion of the section 11 will be positioned over the apertures 5 formed in the flap 3 and therefore the pepper will not pass from the interior of the box. If, however, it is desired to use the pepper by compressing the spring 17 by means of the head 15 formed on the rod 13 the sliding plate will be shifted so as to cause the slots formed in the section 11 to register with the apertures 5 while the body portion of the section 10 will form a closure for the apertures 6. As soon as the head 15 released, however, the spring will force the sectionsback to their normal HOSitlOn at which time the salt apertures wi be open while the pepper apertures i l be o ed It ill a so be noted by refe r ng to F ig. 2 that the sprin is posit oned W thin the @Pp pe ment of the box 1 and an in manner be pro t d from da pnes i ch would esu t if the spring were placed in the salt compartment rom the -foregoing description it will be the operating mechanism, which might possibly cause the same to become ineffective.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of this invention without departing'from the spirit thereof. It is therefore not wished to con-.

fine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include all such devices as properly come within the scope claimed.

I claim In a salt and pepper box, the combination of a body having a central. partition, a cap carried upon said body, said cap provided with rolled integral' inwardly-extending flanges, said flanges adapted to fit snugly upon said partition for preventing the contents of said body from mixing, said cap provided with a plurality of apertures and having an even upper surface, a rod slidably supported by said cap, a pair of slotted plates fixedly secured upon said rod, said plates being adapted to open and close said apertures, a lip carried by saidrod, a. U-shaped spring, said spring having one end passing into one of said flanges whereby the spring-will be detachably supported, the opposite end of said spring engaging said lip thereby normally urging said rod in one direction In testimony whereof I hereunto. aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LES A. BOWER. 

